Alexis Steptoe – The Friend You Didn’t Know You Needed!

Alexis currently works at NC State University as a Wellness Programs Coordinator. As a wellness coordinator, she also plays the role of health coach for both students and employees.

Alexis earned her Masters of Public Health at UNCG in 2017.  While enrolled, she was a Graduate Assistant for HealthyUNCG, UNCG’s employee wellness program, which is why she attended the Health Coach Training.

In her current position, Alexis is partnering with the counseling department to learn more about when to refer clients. Working with the counseling department helps take some of the pressure off the counselors who already have a lot on their plate. The availability of health coaches allows the counselors to focus on other things, rather than take on extreme case loads. She is also working on creating group coaching sessions for students with similar interests so that there is more availability for health coaching. Some students prefer this group coaching strategy, while others will continue to see benefits from individual coaching. This aligns with the UNCG coaching spirit by catering to each individual’s needs.

Alexis also finds the Health Coach Training to be useful in her day-to-day life, because she can help people to set small, realistic goals. She can also help give people the space they need to brainstorm what they want to accomplish. She says that she is “the friend they didn’t know they needed”.

To continue her education, Alexis works with the counseling staff to better understand when referrals need to be made. She continues to read about health coaching while tying in psychology, and she is going through the Wellcoaches certification process.